Even during the worst excesses of the Nixon administration, most of us were still proud to be Americans. While Vietnam burned through any goodwill we might have stockpiled earlier in the 20th century, Americans were still secure in the knowledge that our country stood for the correct position on most major issues. From ‘separate but (not) equal’ to My Lai to COINTELPRO, the country owned up to its mistakes, and reaffirmed that while we may have faltered, we knew the difference and would strive to be better.

But now, America has lost any pretense of representing ‘truth, justice, and the American way.” The Bush White House comes right out and proclaims that:

“greed is good”,

striking first (aka “sucker punch diplomacy”) has replaced a strong defense,  

torture is just fine if the ends justify the means, and

science is for queers and commies; real Americans get all they need to know from “the book”.

 If I can obtain a work visa almost anywhere in western Europe,I’m outta here…..